December shopping hauls

In lieu of the looming inflation and goods and sales taxes in Malaysia, my family is going on crazy shopping sprees. The Ringgit is at its lowest in 5 years, and the cost of living situation here is looking bleak for future years to come. This coffee shop I frequent for lunch near my office has upped its price for a glass of Chinese tea to 70 cents from 50 cents! Please tell me what sorcery is this! I will be boycotting your thin Chinese tea from now on hmph!

So yeah, back to shopping. Using the same analogy as investing, there's no better time to do it than the present ;)

I got an early Christmas gift for my mom. She has never owned a luxury bag before, so here's our first foray into the world of branded and luxury goods. Also a good time to start pampering her now that I'm working and earning my own keep. Initially I wanted to get her a bottle of Chanel No.5 but this came up as too good to pass on hence I scrapped my plans.

Coach's new arrival, the Turnlock Borough Bag in embossed textured leather, retailing at RM2,400. I got a great deal on this -- a 30% discount for Coach sales and an additional 10% for using my Maybank card. I paid only RM1,465 in the end for a new arrival item! However after some calculation I realized that they billed me wrongly. I think I am overcharged by RM25. I have NO idea how they got to that figure. Should have checked at the store, however it didn't feel right to examine the receipt as I usually do since it was folded up very nicely in an envelope card. These stores play tricks on your mind, I swear. Or maybe I'm just too new in the world of luxury.

Was pretty tempted to get the Michael Kors Jet Set Saffiano Tote for USD$262 at the Ngurah Rai airport in Bali but having examined both bags it is pretty obvious that the Turnlock Borough is of better quality. It feels really structured and sturdy, with many zipped compartments for us ladies to store our infinite amount of items and the stitching work is very fine, whereas comparatively the Jet Set Saffiano Tote is more flimsy and less refined in its build quality. The shoulder straps are roughly finished at the edges (there are traces of glue) and look more prone to wear and tear. I feel that MK is overrated as the product doesn't justify its price tag. And the store assistants are pretty much the epitome of wallflowers. It felt no different to browsing at a department store. Coach definitely has better customer service.

Laneige has some great Christmas sales! Check out our haul -- easily a year's supply to be shared between my mom, me and my sis.

I am a huge fan of their Water Bank series. It's really hydrating and smells so good! I've got their essence, gel cream, multi cleanser (super good buy at RM50 instead of RM85), emulsion and toner. For our purchases, we got free gifts of 2 5-piece travel sets! Isn't the paper bag sweet? I am a sucker for pink and I love it!

Christmas is that time of the year where my pockets empty... and I suspect that my new year's resolutions will include "being more frugal / cut spending!!" somewhere inside. I feel like I am the ultimate consumer these days. But whatever. Life is good and I am happy.

Happy December, everyone!